Uzbekistan Parliament Approves New Nuclear Energy Law

15.03.2019 11:32

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Former Soviet Union country, Uzbekistan is turning to nuclear energy to power its economy as the landlocked country has an abundance of uranium and big economic ambitions.

As the energy demand and population of the country continue to rise, a nuclear energy law has been approved recently by the members of the Lower House of Uzbek Parliament in order to develop unified state policy on the establishment and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Member of Oliy Majlis of the Uzbek Parliament, Zhamshid Pirmatov said the energy law is the first of its kind in the history of Uzbekistan.

“The new law will become the basis for the development of nuclear energy that will be used for peaceful purposes. The energy demand in the country increases every year,” he said, adding that the introduction of the new law is similar to the latest innovation for the country.

Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia region with nearly 33 million people. It is the seventh largest producer of Uranium in the world.

The country and its strategic partner Russia plans to build two nuclear reactors with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts each. The construction of the first reactor will begin in 2022 and launch in 2028 and the second will start in about one and a half year later.

In an interview with a London-based media, Head of the Uzbek state nuclear energy company, Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov said nuclear energy is one of the cleanest, ecologically safest sources of power as well as the lowest cost after hydropower.

He said Uzbekistan’s current dependence on coal, gas, oil and hydropower will not be enough to meet the increasing energy demand in the country.